Artificial intelligence is rapidly expanding beyond chatbots and office productivity tools, and the latest example comes from an unlikely corner of the market: home maintenance.
Home services platform Kandua, a wholly owned subsidiary of Santam, has launched what it says is South Africa’s first AI-powered home companion, designed to help homeowners identify maintenance issues and connect with vetted service providers.
The launch also reflects the growing use of AI by financial services groups to extend their digital ecosystems beyond traditional insurance products into value-added customer services.
Named Jess, the conversational AI platform guides users from diagnosing a home repair or improvement need through to booking a contractor. The service combines an AI assistant, called “Ask Jess”, with a job booking function that matches homeowners with vetted service providers.
According to Kandua, users can interact with Jess to better understand a home maintenance issue before being connected to a suitable contractor. The platform also provides cost benchmarks, highlights potential complications, and keeps users within a single conversational workflow throughout the booking process.
Kandua chief executive Vinolan Pillay said the company saw an opportunity to rethink how homeowners engage with home services by combining AI, data, and cloud technology.
“By combining AI, data, and cloud, Jess creates a personalised, context-aware experience that replaces static forms and fragmented processes, building a connected ecosystem that delivers better outcomes for both homeowners and providers,” he said.
Pillay added that the platform is intended to improve transparency by helping homeowners to make more informed decisions while enabling service providers to provide a more efficient service.
The launch follows Santam’s acquisition of Kandua in 2024 as part of the insurer’s strategy to expand its digital capabilities and strengthen support for small businesses operating in the home services market.
Although insurers have increasingly adopted AI to improve underwriting, claims handling, and customer service, the launch of an AI-powered home companion signals how the technology is beginning to extend into adjacent services that support homeowners before they ever need to submit a claim.
Kandua says Jess introduces a rigorous vetting process for contractors on its platform. Service providers are required to undergo identity verification, criminal background checks, certification validation, and business registration checks before being accepted.
The company has also replaced its traditional pay-per-lead model with a one-to-one job matching system, under which contractors are connected only with work they are equipped to undertake. Kandua says this reduces unnecessary costs and improves efficiency for both homeowners and service providers.
Homeowners can access Jess through the Kandua website.
